What is so big about 400 languages?

Roberta804

In order to ease into the internet world it seems the Printing Company is capitolizing on being able to provide their message in 400 languages. I do not see what the big deal is all about.

RubaDub

They are taking a page from Baskin-Robbins playbook.

Rub a Dub

The importance of the "400 language" deal depends on what percentage of the world's population could potentially be reached with translations into their languages. I think the percentage is high. This coverage creates the illusion that they could reach almost all people with their (ahem, cough, cough) lifesaving message - maybe simultaneously sound some warning (You're going to die!!!) right before the end. That illusion may be important to their followers.

I think it's reasonable to admit translating every magazine pretty quickly into 400 languages is a pretty good accomplishment. However I'm not really high on the quality of the content that they're translating.

One can always hope that some of their translators manage to "lose a little" of the B.S. in translation.

jgnat

Could be, Gopher. I've seen some articles compared against the French version, and some of the controvercial "lingo" does not translate.

Translating to 400 languages is some feat.

The Gideons bible is offered in 94 languages. The bible has been translated in to 392 languages, the New Testament 1,012.

I did some digging to see what the big languages are. Fourteen languages are spoken by 50% of the world, and a total of seventy languages cover 80% of the world. In order of number of native speakers, the top fourteen languages are: Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, Punjabi, German, Javanese, and Wu.

I think the 400 languages boast is kind of like the Heinz 57 brand; it sounds really good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers

leaving_quietly

So that Rev 7:9 could be fulfilled: "After these things I saw, and, look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands."

jgnat

Well, they've got a ways to go then. There's 6,500 spoken languages in the world.

Las Malvinas son Argentinas

It just fits into the standard JW imagery I always saw in the yearbooks - Bundled up pioneers preaching on the tundra, short sleeves with a camel conveniently in the background, and tropical shirts in front of breezy palm trees. It's all a mirage designed to fulfill the 'every tribe and nation' bit so they can say that the end is coming.

mP

But is the NWT available in downtown Riyadh or Tehran ?

What is so big about 400 languages?

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